Sunday, 6 July 2014

Airfix 1/72 Higgins LCVP Build/Review

Airfix have released a new mould offering of the LCVP in 1/72 scale. It was previously available in a 1/76 presentation.
Attractively boxed - there are 3 sprues within securely bagged. Decals are provided for Royal Navy and US Navy craft with schemes appropriate for D-day 1944.
First impressions are favourable with good mould detail and minimal flash. It definitely is a new tooling with a different parts breakdown from the older version. In dimension terms it seems to equal the old 1/76 offering. A very welcome touch includes the model base as a wooden trestle which presumably mimics how these vessels were transported off-water. The drop ramp comes with opening vision door and the Browning guns are delicately moulded in huge contrast to the previous incarnation. Less welcome are the prominent mould Circles on the front of the ramp and the "block" mooring cleats. There has been no attempt to define these, 3 along each side which is a real disapointment and really detracts from an otherwise admirable offering. A quick check confirms that replacement or alternative mooring cleats are NOT available from aftermarket sources. Original wartime pictures show 2 alternative types fitted - a bollard type that the earlier kit came with and conventional T cleats. It is a relatively easy job to file the sides away with flat/curved top file.
My only other grouse is apparent undersized life-buoys that will need replacing

Let the build commence and first off there are some pics of a hack build of the original 1/76 version